• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, 49 minutes ago

The title of this column is Media Insider, but this week I want to talk about something overlooked in traditional conversation about media.  I want to talk about music. 

One of the things I missed the most during this very tough year was live music.  I had tickets for four Pearl Jam shows that I was really looking forward to attending.  Based on my historical average, I probably would have been to an additional five or six shows in 2020, but the pandemic robbed me (and many of you) of those experiences.  I’m a dad, so my annual concert attendance is down from where it used to be when I was younger, but that just makes each one even more special.

I used to hit up 30-40 shows a year.  Those days are gone.  I’m pickier about the shows I choose to see.  I look forward to each opportunity to see live music, and I revel in the experience.  You are surrounded by thousands of people having a similar experience, and you can be bathed in the happiness emanating from the sound as it pulses through your pores.  Seeing live music is one of the great joys of being a human being. 

David Letterman expressed this viewpoint passionately when he inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I highly recommend you listen to that speech for background). 

In the absence of concerts, we had to focus on recorded music. This year, there’s been a surprising amount of good music created and offered up for us -- at home.  Taylor Swift answered the call with two albums.  Pearl Jam offered up a high-quality record.  10-year-old Nandi Bushell became an internet sensation and won a musical battle against Dave Grohl. 

Artists were performing at home week after week.  Collaborations stretched across the divide of lockdown.  Artists supported causes, celebrated first-responders and did what they could to help support their fans as well as their employees.  Creativity was increased as people found ways to distract themselves and redirect their energies into something positive. 

2021 has promise. With the vaccine rollout, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Still, next year will tragically see the end of many independent venues for live music, though down the line we could see them come back in new and exciting ways.  Physical venues could become hosts to online venues as well.  Some of the most famous venues could create digital brands that help them succeed in a post-COVID world.

As always, human ingenuity can be sparked in the face of adversity, and I hope we see this take place in the live music industry. Companies like Live Nation and I Heart Media can offer new and exciting ways to have artists come directly into your home in addition your local club or stadium. 

The music industry has been forced to reinvent itself more than almost any other category the last 20 years, and this is simply another example.  It can be seen as an opportunity if you look at it the right way, and I know a lot of people are doing just that.  They are going to reinvent live music in 2021 and headed into 2022.

I look forward to standing next to a few thousand people I have never met before, singing out loud until our voices are hoarse.  I look forward to standing, arms outstretched, and basking in the sound of great music with like-minded people and a few friends.  Hopefully, with no masks nor social distancing.  Just a song, a smile and a shared experience that we will always remember.

Cheers to 2021!